Dark Cloud 2: A New Adventure
by Tanoro Tomoshibi
Summary: Max and Monica revisit the Moonflower Palace where they discover the ghost of Sirus haunting it. He reveals his discover of their Atlamilia in which he recovered for them. A new adventure to the very distant past begins. New Atlamilia are also discovered.


ï»¿ Dark Cloud: A New Adventure  
By: Tanoro Tomoshibi

Author's Note: This fic is written shortly following Dark Cloud 2: Chapter 8. It begins a whole new adventure and some new Atlamilia appear as well as the old ones. Max and Monica have a new guide for this adventure too. Also, the true powers of the Gold Atlamilia are revealed. Enjoy!

Max and Monica had just defeated the Dark Genie in the depths of Palm Brinks Mine. Together, they exited the mine in order to report to the mayor of Max's findings. The two adventurers were covered in dust and dirt from the mine as they made their way through town toward city hall.

"I had no idea Palm Brinks had those kind of monsters in it!" Max states as  
they passed Cedric's shop.

"Yeah, it was kinda fun." Monica smiled. "Uhg, but I could use a bath." She  
ran a hand through her dust-covered hair.

"Yeah, me too." Max agreed. "We'll go to my house after we report in."

"Great!" Monica replied.

The mayor was found at the train station next to city hall. Max reported his findings of zelmite in the mine as well as the monster that laid in the earth below. Max and Monica had cleared the monsters, so it was no longer a threat. Max informed the mayor that he could send workers into the mine to get the zelmite for the railroad.  
Afterwards, Max and Monica made their way across town to the upper side where Max's family mansion was located. They were quickly greeted in the front yard by Gordon, who was visiting from Sindain to tend to the flowers. As they went inside, Max heard his father shouting from his study. Max feared something was wrong an approached the door. To his humorous delight, he found his father, Gerald, trying hard to speak with Max's grandmother, Rosa, who happened to be hearing impaired. Max and Monica had to laugh at this sight. Max eased the door open to drew attention from his father.

"Ah, Max! Out of the mine again?" Gerald asked. "And Monica too? Where did  
you come from?"

Monica smiled. "The future, of course." she giggled. "How've you been?"

"Well, I've actually been a little depressed lately." Gerald responded.

Max rolled his eyes in expectation. "Father, please."

"Why?" Monica asked.

"Max won't let me have his Supernova." Gerald smiled.

"Father, I worked hard to get that gun. It was my best weapon against  
Griffon." Max replied. "It has sentimental value."

"I know, but what are you going to do with it now?" Gerald asked. "It would  
be a waste just to hang it on the wall and never use it again."

Max rolls his eyes again, taking care that his head motions gestured toward  
the various guns on the walls of the room.

Gerald noticed this. "Those guns aren't nearly as good as yours."

"Please father, I'm still going to go on adventures. I'm keeping it with  
me." Max pointed out while spinning the gun around his finger. "I'm not  
going to retire it yet."

"I'd hate to interrupt, but where could I get cleaned up?" Monica changed  
the subject.

"Oh! Of course." Max remembered. "You can use the first-floor bathroom near  
Granny Rosa's room."

Max lead Monica to the first-floor bathroom while he went upstairs to use the one by his room. Before long, they were both cleaned up. Monica changed into her stripped dress that Max had saved from their adventure while Max changed into his green overalls. Monica's dress included a set of daggers which she never really used and a pair of black shorts underneath. This outfit was much better for mobility and much more respectably stylish than her pumpkin shorts. Max had suggested that Monica get some rest in one of the guest rooms, which she did. Max wasn't particularly tired, so he went outside to the front yard. He approached the exquisite lawn furniture and sat down to enjoy the scenery.

Shortly after, Gordon approached and sat down in the other chair. "Lovely  
flowers today, aren't they?"

Max nodded. "Yup, but you should see the garden at the Moon Fower Palace." Max smiled. "I'm not really a flower person, myself, but that garden was  
breath-taking."

"Really?" Gordon looked up in interest. "Even better than mine?"

"Well, I don't mean to offend you, but when you compare the gardens for  
yourself, the superiority is very obvious." Max took care not to sound  
ungrateful.

"I would like to see that sometime." Gordon said as he sat back into the  
chair.

"Well, the palace is still there. Monica and I can take you there." Max offered. "We've got nothing better to do and the mayor said that they've been expanding the Blackstone Railroad. I'll bet it can reach the palace  
now."

"I don't know about that." Gordon looked a bit fearful. "Isn't that the  
place where you fought Griffon?"

Max nodded. "We fought him deep inside the palace. The garden is in the courtyard. We don't have to go inside. And anyway, Griffon is long gone."

"Alright, when can we go?" Gordon asked.

"As soon as Monica is up, I guess." Max thought.

"Why not now?!" Monica approached.

"Oh! You're up already?" Max said.

"Yup! I couldn't sleep either." Monica replied.

"Alright then, lets go!" Max raised a fist into the air.

Max, Monica, and Gordon walked across town to the train station. The first crew had just arrived with the first big load of zelmite from the mine. Borneo told Max and Monica that they could ride for free in exchange for their service. They happily agreed. Before long they were chugging across open country. They passed many places that they remember from their journey. They quickly passed through Sindain, where Gordon now lived. They passed Balance Valley, where Max and Monica met Lin and her master, Crest. The train then made a quick stop at the Veniccio Coast where Luna Lab was to be built in the future. The final settlement the train passed was Heim Rada, where the train crew, Cedric, Borneo, and Erik, live. This is where the last of the train's passengers got off. Only Max, Monica, and Gordon remained on the train then. They passed by Kazarov Stonehenge and quickly came to a stop at their destination, the Moon Flower Palace. The three got off the train and approached the big doors to the courtyard.

Monica stretched her arms. "Well, I'm certainly not tired after that ride."

"Yeah, I napped on the way too." Max pointed out.

"I'm a little stiff." Gordon also stretched.

"Well, here we are!" Max said as he walked up to the gate.

For such huge gates that stood at least 30 feet tall, they opened with suprising ease. The three companions walked into the courtyard and was greeted by hundreds of flowers of various colors, a small well, a beautiful fountain in the middle, and a lovely path that stretches between the flower beds and several moon columns that shined with a soft light. As Max had claimed, the garden was breath-taking. Gordon stared for a few minutes before finally taking a step forward. The three walked across the garden path for a few minutes until Max thought he'd heard something.

Max put a hand to his ear. "What was that?"

"What?" Monica asked.

Gordon was too caught up in the scenery to hear anything.

"It sounded like voices." Max said. "Like laughter."

"Who would be here besides us?" Monica said. "Ever since the Griffon  
incident, everyone is scared of this place."

"Not everyone!" A familiar voice rang in the air.

Max and Monica quickly turned and looked between two of the moon columns. Gordon was quickly spooked as well. Hovering there between the columns was a ghostly image that was hard to make out at first. Max and Monica stared for a moment and saw a small rabbit-like creature. He had long ears and buckteeth like a rabbit, but he stood around 3 feet tall. He wore a dark purple robe with a large rune pattern on the front. He also wore a necklace decorated with fangs and a large golden stone.

"Sirus?!" Max and Monica said in unison.

Sirus chuckled to himself. "Yup, just haunting the castle! No big deal." He hovered closer. "It's good to see you again. I hope you don't still hold  
any hard feelings for that incident."

"No no, it's ok. It turned out for the best, I guess." Max stated.

"We're sorry about what happened to you." Monica said.

"It's quite alright." Sirus replied. "I'm able to spend time with Alexandra  
again. I couldn't be happier."

"Who is this?" Gordon asked.

"Oh! Uh, well." Max and Monica both stuttered.

"I'm Sirus, the caretaker of this garden." Sirus held out a friendly hand.

"Oh, I'm Gordon." Gordon introduced himself. "I'm the caretaker of the  
garden around Max's mansion." He offered a hand in return.

"Ah, it's good to meet a fellow gardener." Sirus stated as his hand and  
Gordon's passed through one another.

Gordon gave a startled stare.

"Oh, sorry about that. I'm still getting used to this myself." Sirus  
smiled.

"So did you work for Emporer Griffon?" Gordon asked.

"Oh! Well, I...uh...um." Sirus then stuttered and put a hand behind his  
head. "Actually, I was Emporer Griffon."

Gordon almost fell over as this sudden acknowledgement.

"Take it easy, Gordon." Max said. "It's safe. He doesn't mean any harm."

"Right." Sirus nodded. "By the way Max and Monica, I have something for  
you."

"Huh?" Max stared in interest. "What?"

Sirus flew up to the tops of the moon columns and picked up two shining jewels from atop two of them. "Here! Catch!" Sirus threw the stones to Max  
and Monica.

Max looked at the stone. "This can't be!"

"It's impossible!" Monica followed.

"It's our Atlamilia!" The two said in unison.

"But how did this happen?" Max asked Sirus.

Sirus merely shrugged as he hovered closer again. "I got mine back as well. I don't entirely understand it myself." Sirus pointed to the yellow stone around his own neck. "I guess they reappeared after the Dark Element was  
defeated."

"I guess that makes sense." Monica added, while scratching her head. "The stones are supposed to be timeless. They wouldn't have survived this long  
if they were so easily destroyed."

"This is great!" Max exclaimed. "It means we can go back and forth through  
time again!"

"I don't know, Max." Monica stated. "Time travel was outlawed in my time,  
remember?"

"Oh yeah." Max sighed for a moment. "But hey, we're not in your time now.  
We're allowed to here."

"But where could we go?" Monica asked. "Yours can only go forward by 100  
years and mine can only go back 100 years. We really can't go anywhere  
without running into the restrictions of my time."

"I might have an idea." Sirus spoke up. "You could use my Atlamilia."

"Your Atlamilia?" Monica asked. "That reminds me. Just what does your  
Atlamilia do?"

"My Atlamilia builds connections between times, so to speak. This was how I was able to communicate with my followers through a gap of 10,000 years in my time." Sirus answered. "While I couldn't actually travel through time  
until I got my hands on the red and blue Atlamilia, I could see, send messages, and even do magic through time. And unlike your Atlamilia, mine  
applies to any time I want for as far forward or back I want."

"So you're saying that as long as we three stay together, we could go  
literally anywhere in time?" Max asked.

"Exactly!" Sirus answered. "The power of our three Atlamilia grants total  
control over time travel. The red and blue Atlamilia determine the  
directional flow of the power while the gold Atlamilia determines and  
enhances distance. Knowing this was how I brought us and the palace to  
Max's time in the first place."

"I get it." Monica said. "This is all very interesting, but what could we  
do with this power? Where could we go?"

Max shrugs. "I don't really know. Do you know of any place that would be  
fun to go?" Max asked Sirus.

"Well, this was only a rumor, but there was said to be a small clan of magicians that used the Atlamilia around 15,000 years ago. It's possible we could go back in time and meet them." Sirus said. "They might even be able  
to tell us more about them."

"That sounds like fun." Max said with enthusiasm. "Lets go!"

"I suppose we could check it out." Monica said.

"I can get back to Sindain on my own." Gordon informed. "You go on without  
me."

"Great, so all we need is a time gate, right?" Max asked.

"Hold on." Sirus interrupted. "If you want me to go along, you'll need one  
more thing."

"Huh? What's that?" Max asked.

"We'll need something for him to inhabit." Monica said. "He's a ghost, so  
he can't leave the palace unless someone takes him within a blessed  
article."

"That's right." Sirus nodded. "How did you know that?"

"Well, I do study magic." Monica playfully smugged.

Sirus smiled at her reply. "How could I forget?" Sirus pointed. "There are two small-size tombstones over by the well for myself and Alexandra. Mine  
has my name on it. Take it and I'll be able to follow anywhere you go."

"What about your Atlamilia?" Monica asked.

Sirus gestured with his hand. "Don't worry about it. My body lies in the palace crypt next to Alexandra. My Atlamilia is around my neck. As long as it's there, I'll have access to its power. It works likes a cross between  
an astral link and a chrono union."

"Alright, time for a new adventure!" Max pumped his fist into the air.

Max went to the well and quickly found Sirus's stone. Max realized that such an adventure would require additional preparation, so they accompanied Gordon on the train, but left him when the train stopped at Palm Brinks. Max and Monica went to Max's house to pick up his pack and usual gear. After thoroughly packed, Max said goodbye to his father while his father said goodbye to Max's gun. The two then left for the nearest time gate, which was ironically in Sindain.  
Max and Monica stepped into the gate where Monica held up her Atlamilia. A blue flash came from her Atlamilia while a golden flash came from Sirus's stone and the three adventurers were off to the distant past.  
When they appeared, it was most definately the distant past. The palace was no longer there. Sirus confirmed that this was the place where the palace was going to be built within the next 5,000 years. There was simply nothing here now. It was an unsettled woodland with small carriage paths which indicated people were around this area.

"Lets see." Sirus thought as he rose from his stone. "If my memory serves me right, there should be a village around here somewhere. In my time, it's one of our oldest cities. These are the people that'll later come under the monarchy of the Moonflower Palace. Alexandra was only the third generation  
of the dynasty and became queen when her parents died."

"That's sad." Monica said as they walked.

"Oh, Alexandra always missed them, but she was a strong girl and a great queen." Sirus explained. "She held her civic duty as close to her heart as  
she did her parents. I always hoped she would hold me so close."

"Something tells me she does." Monica said with a smile.

Sirus only smiled back. "Ah! There is it!" Sirus pointed forward. "It's the  
village of Flora."

"Great!" Max stated. "We can asked the people where to find these magicians." Max suddenly realized something. "Hey Sirus, do you know what  
these magicians called themselves?"

Sirus thought for a moment. "Yes! They were called the Lunar. It was the Lunar and the people of Flora that came together and built the Moonflower  
Palace, hence the name 'Moonflower.'"

"Hey, that's kind of clever." Monica replied.

As they entered the village, Sirus hid back in his stone so as not to scare anyone. Max and Monica asked directions to the village elder's home. The village was relatively small, so it took only minutes to get there. This a subtle knock on his door, he answered. The elder was naturally on old man with a white beard. He wore a tan robe with a short cape on the back and a pendant with a small red stone around his neck. He carried a nicely-designed, wooden staff which he used as a cane. He answered the door and quickly acknowledged the children at his doorstep.

"Ah, what can I do for you children?" The elder asked.

"We came to ask about the Lunar." Max answered.

"Oh?" The elder opened the door a little more. "Come to think of it, I don't believe I've seen you around before. Come in and we'll discuss it."

Max and Monica entered the small house and were invited for some tea by the elder and his wife. The house was a primitive, wooden house not unlike what Max and Monica had built in Sindain. The furniture was suprisingly exquisite despite being made only of wood. They sat down, they began to discuss the Lunar.

"My name is Magus." The elder introduced himself. "And this is my wife,  
Lucia."

"I'm Maximilian, but you can just call me 'Max.'" Max said.

"And I'm Monica Raybrandt." Monica added.

"Oh, there is something more about you, I sense." Magus pointed out. "There  
is another presense among you."

"That would be me." Sirus said as he rose from his stone. "I'm Sirus."

"Ah, you carry a ghost with you?" Magus pointed out as he rocked in his  
chair. "I can see why you would be seeking out the Lunar. You must be  
magicians."

"Well actually, Sirus and I are the only ones who know magic." Monica  
corrected. "We're actually looking for them to ask about these stones."  
Max, Monica, and Sirus pointed out their Atlamilia.

Magus adjusted his glasses and looked carefully at their stones. "Oh dear,  
those are Atlamilia, aren't they?"

"You know about them?" Max asked.

"Of course, the two high priests of the Lunar each carry an Atlamilia."  
Magus informed.

"Do they look like ours?" Monica asked.

"Very much so, only theirs are green and white." Magus said. "There is also  
rumor of another Atlamilia that is black."

"More Atlamilia, you say?" Sirus looked in interest. "That can't be right.  
I've only heard stories of the three we have."

"To be honest, I've never seen or heard of the ones you have." Magus  
pointed out. "We only knew of the three Atlamilia that I mentioned."

"What do these Atlamilia do?" Monica asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Magus answered. "You'd have to seek out the Lunar  
and ask them."

"Do you know where we can find them?" Max asked.

"Of course! They have an islolated cave with a set of catacombs near the river east of town." Magus answered. "This is where they study and practice  
their magic."

"Maybe I could pick up some pointers while we're there." Monica laughed.

"I'm sure they'll help you, especially under your circumstances. They are very friendly, but they keep to themselves a lot." Magus warned. "You'll probably encounter some heavy resistance getting inside the catacombs. The people of the village don't dare disturb them because we can't get past the outer cave due to the creatures that inhabit it. I think this is how they  
choose those worthy to be among the Lunar."

"Alright!" Max exclaimed. "Lets go check it out."

"Be careful, children. That cave is no playground." Magus warned.

Sirus spoke up. "Trust me on this one, these children aren't nearly as weak  
as they appear."

"Very well then, offer my best regards to the high priests." Magus said.

"Will do, Magus." Max said with his usual enthusiasm. "And thanks."

The three left the elder's house and made way toward the east cave under which is the Lunar Catacombs. It was nearly dark when they reached the mouth of the cave. They decided to make camp. Sirus never had to sleep anymore, so he agreed to stand watch over them all night. This was a great convernience for Max and Monica who needed the rest more anyway, since they would be doing the fighting to get through the cave.  
They quickly built a fire ring of stones and gathered some wood. Monica lit the fire with her magic and Max went to catch some fish to eat in the nearby river. As for any of their adventures, they were more than prepared for it. Sirus was rather impressed by their easy effort and quick success. Once the fire was lit and enough wood was on it, Monica went down to the river with Max while Sirus stayed behind to watch the camp.

"Catching anything yet?" Monica asked Max as she approached the bank.

"Just a few dens so far." Max replied. "I just switch lures though, so I  
might catch something bigger."

"Can I use the other rod?" Monica asked.

"Sure!" Max replied. "It's in my bag over there." Max pointed a little  
upshore.

Monica baited a hook and joined Max for some fishing. "I can't believe we're actually 15,000 years in the past. This is as far back as I've ever  
been."

"Same here." Max replied. "We've been going on these journeys for some time  
now, but we've never gone this far back."

"Yeah, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" Monica smiled with a slight sigh.

"A long time since we met." Max returned a subtle smile of his own.

"Max, I...uh..." Monica trailed off.

Max looked at her. "What is it, Monica?"

The two stared for several seconds. His blue eyes seemed to melt her heart  
when she looked into them, but her fear overcame her. "Umm...you can't catch anything without working the bait." She changed the eminent subject.

Max quickly turned and began tugging his line. "Oh...yeah." As he tugged,  
he noticed how unsteady his hand was now.

Soon they had caught enough fish to eat and were back at the camp. Things were a bit more silent between them then. Sirus noticed, but didn't sense any anger among them and he knew he would've heard the yelling if there had been an arguement between them. The looks in their eyes were softer and he knew all too well what they meant. The thought only made him chuckle to himself. He decided it best to keep out of it.  
After eating, they prepared for bed. Max hadn't thought the usual georama materials would be necessary, so he was easily able to pack a couple of sleeping bags in addition to their usual gear. By the next morning, things were normal again. It was time to enter the cave, so they quickly picked up all of their gear and doused the fire.  
The three adventurers entered the mouth of the large cave and started down into its depths. The lighting inside was very poor, but Sirus's aura provided some light. Monica also helped by drawing her magic and holding it to provide light. Max's supernova also provided some light for them. It didn't take long before the cave entrance was out of sight and monsters began to appear. Max and Monica were able to make very quick work of most of them. Sirus kept watch and warned of sneak attacks from behind. The cave was huge and the caverns had ceilings so high that they couldn't be seen in the poor light. The group encountered all kinds of creatures new to them, but they fell just as quickly as those fought before. Before long, they came to a large red door in the middle of a section of the cave that had been hollowed out by hand to form a large room.

"This must be it." Monica said.

"That wasn't as difficult as I thought." Max pointed out.

"Wait a second." Sirus said. "There's something else here too. I sense  
another presense."


End file.
